Voting for Non-Citizens: Inclusion or Manipulation?
Granting the vote to non-citizens can be a tactical electoral subterfuge disguised as "inclusion."
The idea of permanent residents voting before (or without) becoming citizens has existed for several years. But does the idea have merit? The Canadian Civil Liberties Union virtually says Canada should do it because countries like Sweden are doing it. In 2018, the Edmonton Journal published an op-ed advancing similar arguments. Some of the arguments in the debate are fallacious and not many are worth entertaining. Most of them are based on collectivist considerations that undermine the individual.
Take the following two sentences: "Sweden achieves voter turnout rates of 80-90 per cent at all levels of government. The voter turnout in the last Edmonton municipal election was 31 per cent."
Indeed, it’s true that Sweden is known for having one of the highest voter turnouts in the world. Sweden has high voting efficacy and Canadian municipal elections have low voting efficacy. However, there is no evidence that Swedish electors are more participatory because of non-residents. In the 2018 national elections (the year of the EJ op-ed), the voter turnout was 87.2 percent. If non-citizen voters were a determining factor for greater participation, municipal elections in Sweden would have a higher voter turnout, but they do not. The 2018 municipal election turnout was 83.1 percent, 4 points lower. Sweden is also rapidly moving away from failed multicultural policies.
The higher voter turnout in Sweden is independent of newcomer participation. It is a feature of the country's strong democratic tradition and the high level of trust Swedes have in their political system. As the COVID regime demonstrated, Canada has weak(er) democratic traditions and breeds increasing distrust between citizens and governments.
The Liberal Party of Canada has allowed non-citizens to be voting members for several years now under the guise of inclusivity. But Liberal voters are not more participatory in Canada than their counterparts. And while Liberal voters may be the most trusting of government (especially when Liberals are in office), the current Liberal government does not trust Canadians.
Non-citizens in the Liberal Party of Canada influence who becomes the leader of that party, a feature that advantages candidates with name high recognition regardless of their qualities or policies.
To be a member of the federal Liberal Party, one doesn't have to buy a membership, and no residency requirement is outlined in its constitution. This leaves things open to abuse. As the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions has revealed, loads of (non-citizen and non-permanent resident) foreign nationals voted for a specific Liberal nominee in Ontario. The operation, documents reveal, was under the manipulative direction of China's Communist Party, seeking to expand the presence of Beijing-friendlies inside Trudeau's government. The Liberal Party and the PMO came to know about it and did nothing but that’s a discussion for another day.
Regardless of the origin of the voting foreigners, the point here is that segments of people with no interest in Canadian political contests are susceptible to being manipulated or bribed into voting by local or foreign powers to push murky local or foreign political agendas.
Borrowing tactics from the federal Liberals, supporters of the recently rebuked Mayor Gondek are introducing on April 29 a motion for permanent residents (non-citizens) to vote in Calgary municipal elections. While it seems similar to what the federal Liberals already practice, it is also somewhat different.
It is different in that when non-citizens become members of the Liberal Party of Canada, the party is at least nominally responsible before public opinion for the possible misdeeds they might engage in acting as members. Gondek is against instituting political parties at the municipal level.
It is different because non-citizen voting in riding nominations in Trudeau's party are not directly selecting a parliamentary representative, and therefore not quite usurping the privileges of citizenship. It might best be compared to the practice of parties allowing 16-year-olds to vote as a type of training in the practical wisdom necessary to engage in politics. One might generously interpret the federal Liberal intentions to be the same when allowing newcomers membership and voting. But it is more likely a cleverly practical scheme to attract newcomers to develop an attachment to their political brand.
The Calgary proposition is similar to what the federal Liberals do in that the scheme can lend itself to the manipulation of willing or unsuspecting foreign residents. It is also similar in the objective of increasing the number of people presumed to favour one agenda or one candidate. It can be an effectively manipulative scheme to use newcomers cloaked as their caring inclusion. Are we willing to increase the risk of foreign interference in Calgary’s municipal elections?
Regardless of the outcome of the City Council motion in Calgary on April 29, Alberta’s Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) regulates municipal elections, and it does not contemplate non-citizens voting. The provincial government has declared that it has no intention to change the rules.
The proposal to extend voting rights to non-citizens in Calgary, following an impressive attempt to recall the mayor, raises eyebrows even if it seems all for naught. The non-citizen population of Calgary is modest: In 2020, 13.5% of Calgary's population were non-citizens. However, given the low turnout during municipal elections, a small number can tip the scales. In tight races, the non-citizen vote might determine the outcome. What's even more shocking is that Gondek's supporters are doing this at a time when the Foreign Interference Inquiry is uncovering how such policies serve to manipulate ethnic communities. It just goes to show how out of touch and politically insensitive most of Calgary's current Council can be.
The right to vote is one of the most precious features of citizenship. It is a right and a privilege that carries the responsibility to educate oneself in the affairs of the community to make decisions. Given the nature of human beings, people tend not to appreciate things that they receive without putting much effort into them.
Allowing the vote to residents without citizenship in Calgary in the name of inclusion devalues citizenship for each citizen of Calgary, whether or not they were born here. As a foreign-born individual who earned citizenship in this country, I reject the attempt at diluting the worthiness of each citizen’s vote despite the good intention.
Casting a vote is an institutional right and responsibility of citizens, requiring a commitment to self-education and engagement in civic matters. Offhandedly extending this right to non-citizens—who bear no such obligation—could result in further political uncertainties and even more inadequate governance, not better. There are no assurances that widening the vote will lead to better political culture, government or administrative efficiency.
On the other hand, the move could pave the way for future expectations of equal rights about national documents such as passports, and unrestricted access to reside indefinitely within the country.
While no one can confirm whether each of the pro-Hamas demonstrators on Canada's streets today are citizens, likely many are not. Some from the Liberal side might argue that involving such individuals in their political party could temper aggressive behaviours - and perhaps they're right. However, considering the often violent and disruptive conduct exhibited by many of the protestors, it underscores the importance of future citizens understanding and integrating into the customs, traditions, and peaceful political ways of their prospective homeland before being granted full citizenship rights.
Gondek supporters appear to be on a mission to secure her political future, being well aware that the recent bid to oust her has left her chances of re-election on a knife-edge. Seemingly keen to emulate Trudeau, they're actively attempting to extend the voting pool to non-citizens, whether or not such residents possess any knowledge of local politics.